Commissioners Corner
Economy Kicking Along at Good Pace 

As this is written, Darke County has been officially in Spring for 5 days.  Right now, there is 7 inches of snow on the ground, and still falling!  Hopefully, this is old man winter’s last gasp, and soon it will warm up and we can all enjoy the outdoors again.  This has not been a particularly hard winter in the County, but I am sure all of us are ready for a steady dose of sunshine. 

This month has been a mix once again of hurry-up-and-wait, and got-to-be-done-right-now! This month has seen the Commissioners attend several of the F.F.A. banquets around the county.  Some of the banquets have been on the same night, so as last year we divided up the duties.  These events are always a pleasure for us, because of the hard work and dedication the students put into F.F.A. The program consistently turns out good students, and students with a good work ethic.  We in the Commissioner’s office are proud to be a part of their annual celebrations.  Congratulations to all the students, parents, teachers, and others who help make our programs some of the best in the country. 

On March 21st the Darke County Mayors Association held their quarterly meeting at the counties E.M.A. office, at the Sheriff’s complex in Greenville.  Several items were discussed, Gary Young of Wayne Lakes was re-elected as President, Tony Spires of Pitsburg as Vice President, and Dana Heck of Hollansburg, as Sec./Treasurer. The status of the C.D.B.G. (Community Development Block Grant) was asked about.  The Commissioners have heard nothing concrete about the program money distribution yet, but we will inform everyone as we learn more. Congratulations to the new officers. 

For the first time, the Darke County Commissioners had a table at the Sheriff’s Patrol Home and Sports show.  We were located in the basement of the coliseum, next to the Daily Advocate’s table.  The Sport Show ran from the 22nd thru the 24th, and was very well attended on Friday night and Saturday, but slowed down on Sunday because of the snowstorm.  We enjoyed meeting a lot of people, handing out information, and answering questions, and hope to continue to have a presence at the show in the future.  Thanks to Gaylen Blosser, and Jerrry Bunch for all of their support in getting us at the show, and thanks to Commissioner Delaplane for the really nice display she put together. 

On March 26th, the Darke County Township Association held their annual fish fry at the V.F.W. building in Greenville.  This event always draws a good crowd, and the food is always top-notch. This year the entertainment was supplied by Harmony, and a good time was had by everyone.  We would like to thank the Township Association for always including the Commissioners on their invite list.  For more information on the Darke County Township Association, contact President Dave Brewer at (937) 447-3295.  This is a good organization that is usually first in direct contact with the citizens of Darke County.  Their support and hard work are appreciated. 

Economically, we continue to tick along at good pace, thanks to the many efforts of our businesses, the C.I.C’s, and the Partnering for Progress initiative.  Companies are hiring, or plan to hire, and some are planning bigger things in 2013.   We will keep you posted, as soon as we can.  Midmark’s expansion in Versailles in coming along very well, and sometime this summer, they hope to be up and running at full speed.  This is a huge financial commitment from them, and we are proud to see them support Darke County in everything they do.  We have many businesses in the County that are community oriented, and we are fortunate to have good working relationships with all of them.  Thank you to all of you for your support. 

Things are moving, spring is almost(?) here, and we will continue to grow and get better.  Won’t you join us?  We meet every Monday and Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. in the Commissioner’s office located at 520 South Broadway in Greenville, just south of the Courthouse. Come and let us know your thoughts.  Hope to see you  there!  

The Darke County Commissioners